A Changeling for Selkie
by allthingsbright
Summary: When a beloved District Two victor dies a week before her victory tour, the President makes a rather unusual request of her twin sister…
1. Chapter 1

District Two always went crazy when a victor came home, but this was even more cause to celebrate, because the odds had decided not to give Two a victor for ten long years. The streets were full when Selkie came home, and four security guards had to blaze a trail to the newly-occupied house in the Victors' Village.

Penny was practically glued to the window, watching her twin move down the road at a snail's pace. The swarming crowds drowned out every sound. It seemed like almost all of District Two had turned out to see Selkie Katling come home.

But when she got in the door, the girl who ran approximately three tributes through in the Games and strangled two more was pale, thin, and panting. The poison gas released on the last day of the Games had all but destroyed her formerly excellent health.

Shara Katling was at the door the minute Selkie came in, ready to shepherd her winning daughter inside and out of the way. Penny watched from the table as Selkie sat down on the bright new couch, closing her eyes.

'Are you alright, sweetie?' Shara hovered anxiously over her daughter, clasping her hands together. 'Do you need water?'

'I'm fine, Mom,' Selkie said quietly. It was the first time they had heard her voice since her interviews on TV.

'Give her some space,' advised Penny, who was debating whether to speak directly to Selkie or not. Her brain wasn't quite used to the fact that Selkie was here and intact. She got up from her seat, sat down, then got up again.

'Penny, darling, get Selkie a drink.' Shara waved Penny away with one hand, reaching out to Selkie with the other. 'Selk, sweetie, you're pale. Are you cold?'

Selkie raised her voice, causing her mother and Penny to start. 'Mom, leave me alone! I can deal with it!'

'Well, I was only trying—

'Well, stop it!' This time, Penny turned and stared at her sister. Selkie acknowledged her with a cold glare and continued. 'My gosh! You're all a bunch of kiss-asses! Just leave me the hell alone!'

'Watch your language!' Shara exclaimed, finding her footing once again. 'Selkie, I'm sorry that you're angry, but—

'Don't be sorry,' Selkie muttered. At a loss for words, Shara backed out of the room. 'Well, I'll leave you alone, then,' she said, voice trembling slightly. The troubled victor and her twin sister were left alone in the living room.

'You know,' said Penny when there had been a substantially awkward silence, 'you should go easy on Mom. Do you know how worried she was when you were in—when you were away?'

'Well, that's nice,' Selkie said acerbically, 'but what about me? Does anyone care what happened to _me_ when I was "away"?' She smirked at Penny's inability to find words. 'Thought not. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to be alone where no one can suck up to me.' With that, she stormed out.

Penny sat down, staring vacantly at the slamming door. That was the moment when she became quite sure that nothing would ever be the same again.

* * *

The Katling twins had always been identical in pretty much every way. Their pert, freckled faces, wheat-blond hair and big blue eyes had been a familiar sight around their neighbourhood in Two. They would have been almost impossible to tell apart if not for the fact that Selkie preferred a neat bob cut and Penny's hair flowed rebelliously loose around her waist.

They had been similar in personality, too, even though Selkie worked out almost obsessively while Penny neglected her training in favour of the oh-so-shiny performing arts and an antique violin. They had been close, too. That is, until Selkie won the Hunger Games.

She had volunteered for the Eighty-fifth Games after winning a draw at the Training Centre, and never looked back. Penny had been so proud of the way she blazed through her week's training and interviews, and solidified her alliances with the tributes from One and Four, as well as her own partner. She had been a credit to the district.

The powerful Selkie Katling would take the glory of the Hunger Games in her stride, right? That was what everyone expected when she rolled into Two on a ridiculously slow train. But she settled gradually into life as a victor, and one by one, everyone was disappointed.

* * *

'Selk?' Penny stood nervously outside her sister's room in their big new house, wondering if things would be closer to normal today. It was Week Four of the new Selkie, and so far things had been pretty crazy. She had refused to speak to any of her old friends, and spent roughly ninety per cent of her time in her new room, writing something. Whenever someone called to give congratulations or catch up with her, she clammed up and gave as few details as possible. Shara Katling wasn't home much, having thrown herself into a demanding job.

Penny had tried to keep out of the way as much as possible. She had a new job playing at Sekoe's Bar and Restaurant down the road, and a bunch of new friends as a result, including Rayne, a sweet and friendly dancer, Terra, the talkative head waitress, and Ryan, her devastatingly charming accompanist. They never talked about Selkie, but the victor remained a prominent subject in Penny's thoughts.

Now, Selkie replied to her sister's call in a relatively normal fashion. 'Yeah?' The wheels of her desk chair could be heard rolling across the floor.

Penny opened the door a crack. 'Selk, Evanna's here, and she wants to talk to you, like, right now. You know how it is.'

'I know.' Could it be…a hint of humour in Selkie's voice? She rolled her chair over to the door, and Penny was mildly surprised to see that her face was abnormally pale. 'On a scale of one to ten, how neurotic is she?'

Penny allowed herself to grin. That was more like the old Selkie. 'Let's see…probably a five.'

'I don't have to go down yet, then.' Selkie beckoned with one hand, drawing back from the doorway. 'Come in. I haven't seen you properly for ages.'

Penny entered the room, slightly taken aback at the clothes and items scattered on the floor. Out of the two of them, she was usually the messiest, while Selkie liked everything in its place. She stood, unsure of where to sit, while Selkie surveyed her wild hair, lazy mascara and casual clothes.

'So,' said Selkie, 'how have you been? Coping with everything?'

'Um, I'm fine, I guess.' Penny tried to make eye contact with her twin, but it was like trying to keep a laser point in place with sheer willpower. In other words, impossible.

'Sorry I haven't gotten out much,' Selkie said, smiling hollowly. That alone sent a chill down Penny's spine—Selkie never smiled like that. When she was happy, her eyes practically spilled joy and optimism, and when she was sad, the whole world knew about it.

'That's fine.' Her reply bounced around the room, persistently missing its target. Selkie continued to smile with empty eyes. One corner of her mouth was starting to twitch with the effort.

Penny glanced around for inspiration to lighten the mood. Her eyes fell on the open pages of Selkie's notebook, splayed across the desk. 'So, um, been writing much?'

'Yeah.' Selkie stopped smiling—if you could call it that—and her eyes hardened ever so slightly. 'Why?'

'Just wondering.' Penny tried to chuckle lightly, but choked instead. 'What do you write in there, anyway?'

'None of your business.' Eyes that had once been warm and bright turned to blue stone. 'Don't worry about it.'

'I was just curious,' Penny said weakly, trying to cover up her error. 'Sorry if I offended you.'

'Don't be. Everyone does it.'

'Oh, Selkie.' Sympathy took over, and Penny moved closer to her sister, reaching out. Her hand connected with Selkie's shoulder in the same instant that the victor grabbed her arm and twisted it cruelly, drawing a cry of pain from her.

Selkie's eyes widened when she realized what she had done, and she drew back in alarm. 'Gosh, Penny, I'm sorry. Force of habit.'

Penny massaged her shoulder, blinking away tears. 'Force of habit? What kind of habits are you picking up, Selk?'

'Look, Penn, just forget it.' Selkie's eyes became stone once more, and she turned away. 'Go and tell Evanna she can come up here if she wants to talk to me. I'm not going down.'

Something inside Penny snapped. Anger fuelled by the pain in her arm welled up inside her. 'What do you think you're doing, Selkie? You can't hide up here forever!'

'Watch me.'

'Fine, I'll watch you!' Penny stamped her foot, and there was a sharp crack as her shoe broke some forgotten item lying on the floor. 'You're not the same person who left here all that time ago! It's like you're not even my sister anymore. What, did they replace your brain too when they fixed you up in the Capitol?'

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she regretted them. Selkie rose up from her chair and took hold of Penny with furious hands, pushing her right out the door. Penny squealed indignantly, but Selkie's voice drowned her out. 'You have no idea what happened in the Capitol!' she shrieked. 'Get out of my room and don't come back, you stupid bitch! I don't need your sympathy!' Her sickly face was ever so slightly green-tinged, but she had no troubling raising her hand and slapping her twin squarely across the face, leaving a red mark and a long, stinging scratch across Penny's pale cheek. Then she whirled around and slammed the door.

Penny sat down hard, holding her face and staring at the closed door. It took a few minutes for tears to start sliding down her face. She stayed like that until Evanna, alerted by the noise, tripped up the stairs and found her. 'Penny!' cried the escort. 'What's wrong?'

'Nothing,' muttered Penny, getting up and shambling off to her own room. Then she thought again and headed for the back door, unwilling to be like Selkie in any way. She curled up under the large tree in the backyard and cried into the sleeves of her oversized jumper, going over the memory of her sister's distressing actions with every sob.

'Hey.'

Penny started, looking up in a panic. She calmed down slightly when she saw the figure standing in front of her. 'Hey, Ryan.'

Her partner in music knelt down, touching her arm lightly. 'Are you okay, Penn? What's happened?' He hesitated before continuing. 'Is it…Selkie?'

'Yeah, it's Selkie,' Penny admitted, unwilling to hide anything at the moment. 'I don't even know her anymore.'

Ryan made a sympathetic noise and sat down next to her. After a silence, he spoke again. 'Your mom let me in. I came by to see if you wanted music for tonight.'

'Tonight?' Penny looked up in surprise.

'Yeah, tonight. We're playing a set for the evening shift, remember?'

'Oh, I remember. Sorry, Ryan.'

'You can bail if you want,' he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. 'I'll fix something with Cassius.'

'No, I'm coming.' Anything was better than staying at home with the weight of Selkie's new persona holding everyone down. 'Sorry for being like this. I'm just pretty stressed.' Her voice trembled as she remembered her sister's razor-sharp words.

'It'll be fine.' Ryan took gentle hold of her shoulders and caught her gaze. 'We're here for you, okay? You don't have to put up with anyone's crap when you've got us.'

'I won't,' Penny promised, grinning. 'And yes, I do want some music. Thanks for offering. I don't know many people who would brave the Katlings' infamous house for some measly notes.'

'Anything for you,' Ryan said, winking. 'I'd better go now. Your mom looked a little bit edgy about letting me in.'

'Where're you off to? I'll come.' Penny got up, and Ryan followed. 'I'd rather clear out of here for a bit.'

'I'm just off to do some cleaning up at Sekoe's,' he said. 'I'm sure Cassius won't mind another set of hands. That is, if you like disposing of carrot peelings.'

'I'll try,' Penny joked, following him out the side gate.

She returned home at half past ten that night, toting violin, music and spare change, and went to bed mildly happy. As she drifted off, she vowed not to talk to Selkie again unless the victor apologized first.

This vow turned out to be easy to keep. Selkie never came out of her room when Penny was around, despite protests from Evanna about how it was bad for her public image. Pretty soon, all the fuss died down, and life was pretty much normal for the Katlings. Well, except for the fact that there was a gaping hole where Selkie had previously taken her place.

Weeks passed. Winter came and went, with Selkie taking medication after medication to ease her severe coughing fits and asthma. Penny spent more and more time out with Ryan and the other musicians, and less and less time at home, and the weight gradually lifted off her shoulders.

She carried on, trying not to think about the upcoming Victory Tour, when Selkie Katling would once again be a household name, with Penny Katling as her tagalong twin. But on the other hand, she never even thought that this Victory Tour might not occur. That is, until she was found at the bar by a frantic Evanna, who had called to discuss plans and found that Selkie had gone to sleep some hours ago and, despite everyone's best efforts, could not be woken up.

* * *

 **Well, I can already see that this story is going to be super depressing. Don't worry, I'll lighten it up a bit. I know I can always improve, but I want to know what you guys think.**

 ***whispers* I heard it's really, really cool to review. *clears throat* But in all seriousness, I'd like to know what you guys think.**


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

'Penny! You came!' Rayne dropped her shiny costume on the floor of the backstage room at Sekoe's Bar and Restaurant and ran to embrace her friend as she came in. Penny hugged back, grinning into Rayne's shoulder and letting her bag and violin case fall to the floor.

'Hey, don't attack our only violin player,' Ryan joked, coming across the room. He firmly slapped her shoulder in greeting, and their eyes met for a brief moment. 'Everything good?' he said, raising an eyebrow.

Penny understood him right away. 'Yeah, I'm fine,' she said with a reassuring smile. 'Selkie's still getting over pneumonia. We've got a host of Capitol doctors and random people at home, so Mom kicked me out.'

Ryan winced. 'Ouch. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know that it'll apparently be extra busy tonight.'

'Yeah.' A new voice joined them from across the room. Lena Markam, one of the maskers, waved quickly from where she was unrolling curtains from a flimsy box. 'Cassius told me there's a big group coming to watch one of the recaps at nine. We'll do a set after, to keep them for a bit. You know how people get after a good recap and a few drinks.'

'Is it a recent Games?' Gaius, Lena's performing partner, came in just in time to hear about the recap.

'I think so. Seventy-somethingth. Anyway, we've got two hours to rehearse the set before Cassius kicks us out. Let's get to it!'

Penny grinned at Lena's authoritative tone as she lifted her violin out of its case. The instrument was a slim, silver-coloured frame with four strings running neatly down the middle. She and Gaius, who had been school friends, had found it in this very room, its case gathering a carpet of dust. It had been surprisingly intact, and she had fixed what needed fixing, referencing one of Cassius's useless books about electronics.

When Gaius first plugged it in and drew the bow across the strings, everyone present had been deafened. After that, no one else was willing to brave the noise and actually learn, so Penny had inherited the offending instrument. She had hunted down more old books and developed a style of playing from illustrations and ancient videos, and once her playing was acceptable to the public, Cassius had welcomed her onto his ragtag crew of musicians, actors, and dancers.

The crew at Sekoe's was markedly unusual compared with the rest of District Two, who preferred violence, the Games, and high living, if you wanted to be stereotypical. People didn't think much of the performers, but come eight o'clock at night when the bar opened, there weren't too many complaints. Sekoe's was the only upscale bar that provided live entertainment of this particular kind, so no one could be very choosy.

The crew rehearsed their set, which consisted of a few pieces by Penny and Ryan, with Rayne as dancer, and a mask skit by Gaius and Lena. By the time nine o'clock rolled around, they had been playing for almost an hour and it was time to step aside for the recap of the Seventy-sixth Games.

Penny wasn't particularly interested, especially considering the circumstances, but she sat quietly as Gaius and Lena cheered loudly on either side of her. She was tired, having been standing up for most of the afternoon, and had almost drifted off when she felt someone urgently tap on her shoulder.

'Penny!' The hissing shriek of Evanna trying to use her inside voice was all too recognizable. 'Penny, you need to come right now! Selkie won't wake up!'

Penny digested that news, staring at the escort's frantic face. 'What?'

'What I said! I just came over to discuss some plans, you know, since the tour's in a week, and she's practically in a coma!'

'Why have I got to come?' Penny frowned, gesturing at the rest of her crew, who were still immersed in the Game. 'I've got the rest of a set to do.'

'I've got _orders_ ,' hissed Evanna, lowering her voice even more. 'The Peacekeepers—they said you were to come home and not leave until there have been new…developments.'

That alerted Penny. An unfamiliar trio of Peacekeepers had been assigned to watch over the Katling house, for reasons which she had not yet found out. Penny knew most of Two's Peacekeepers on sight, as they had grown up in that very district. But these Peacekeepers were not known to her, and she thought it might be best to ask them directly what was going on, so she tugged at Lena's sleeve.

'Lena! I've got to go home. Selkie's not well.'

The masker raised her eyebrows. 'But we've got to finish here!'

'I know. Orders from the Peacekeepers. Don't ask.' Penny winced apologetically. 'Sorry. Tell Cassius I couldn't help it.'

Lena shrugged. 'Fine. But it's not my fault if you get in trouble for bailing.'

With that taken care of, Penny packed up her violin and followed the panicking Evanna out of the crowded bar. Once she was out, she noticed that the Peacekeepers had come to escort her. They said nothing and invited no conversation, so she kept silent all the way home. It was a frosty night, and her breath clouded out in front of her.

In the Katling house, everything was deathly quiet. Once Penny had stepped inside, she bolted up the stairs to Selkie's room, squeezed between her mother and the small group of Capitol medics, and took a proper look at her twin sister for the first time in weeks.

Selkie had changed alarmingly since that fight all those weeks ago. Her cheeks were hollow and her half-closed eyes were sunken. Presently, she let out a shallow cough. The heart monitor was agonizingly quiet, and the host of snaking tubes and cords seemed to come straight out of a hospital tragedy. Penny mentally kicked herself when she realized that she had been prepared to ignore her sister for the rest of time.

Shara Katling hardly seemed to notice her other daughter come in. She wrung her hands and enquired of the doctor, 'She's going to be alright, isn't she?'

'I really don't know,' he admitted, shaking his head. 'At this stage it's impossible to say whether she'll survive the night, but we'll do everything we can.'

Shara let out a soft wail. Penny felt as if she had no place in that deathly room, and was starting to back out slowly when she heard a familiar voice calling her back.

'Penny,' rasped Selkie, lifting her hand ever so slightly. 'Stay.'

Her voice was almost lost among the quiet sounds of the various monitors, but Penny heard it all the same. She went to the side of the bed, but could not bear to look her sister in the eye.

'I'm sorry,' murmured Selkie, her mouth twisting in an effort not to shed tears on her pale, veined cheeks. 'I was such a jerk to you.'

Penny found words then. 'Don't be, Selk,' she said, shaking her head. 'It's fine. I forgive you.'

'I wish…' began Selkie, but a fit of coughing cut her off. Penny grasped her sister's hand, hardly knowing what she was doing.

'I want you…to have my journals,' the victor continued once she could speak again. 'Don't show anyone. Just read them once you feel like it.'

The doctor interrupted. 'Miss Katling, please step aside.' He took a quick look at the monitors once Penny had moved, and shook his head. 'Davin, get the…the others. She doesn't have much time left.'

Shara let out a strangled cry, and rushed to her dying daughter's side. 'Selk, please! Please, talk to me!'

It was no good. As Penny backed away once more, she heard a sound that up until now she had thought she would never experience: the sound of the heart monitor flat lining.

She practically threw herself down the stairs and made for the front door, only to be stopped by one of the Peacekeepers, a tall man with close-cropped blond hair. 'Sorry, Miss Katling,' he said, standing between her and the door. 'No one's allowed to leave.'

'What?' cried Penny, feeling a traitorous lump start to form in her throat. 'Who says? My sister just died!'

The Peacekeeper shook his head, looking genuinely sympathetic. 'I'm sorry, miss. Not my rules, but it won't go well for either of us if you leave.'

She fought back a scream of frustration and spun around. Within seconds she was lying on her bed, dry sobbing into the pillow. Real tears wouldn't come, even though Selkie was dead.

As she lay there, Penny didn't even think about the Victory Tour that had been scheduled for the next week. She didn't think about Evanna panicking in the living room downstairs. But an authoritative knock at the door changed everything.

* * *

'Please, make yourself at home,' Shara was saying as Penny came downstairs. 'I'm very sorry about the mess, I had no idea.'

'Don't be sorry, Mrs Katling. I know this is a very hard time for your family.' The voice that replied made Penny stop in her tracks. It was a voice had thought she would only hear on television. She entered the room, hardly daring to look up from the floor.

'Oh, Penny.' Shara's voice was taut and unbelievably stressed. 'Say hello to President Elonn.'

The President met Penny's eyes as she looked up, feeling something like a little, insignificant weed in the presence of a sleek evergreen tree. Lydia Elonn was tall and sharp-eyed, and there was something about her which commanded respect. She was unusually natural for a Capitol citizen, with no dramatic bodily modifications to speak of. When she stepped closer, her heels and remarkable height gave her at least one extra foot over Penny, who unconsciously leaned back.

'Please don't worry, Mrs Katling,' Elonn said, waving Shara away with one neat, elegant hand. 'I don't expect you to entertain guests tonight of all nights. I'm here to talk to Penny.'

She sat down on the couch and motioned for Penny to sit across from her as Shara retreated into the kitchen. 'First of all, may I say how sorry I am for your loss,' she said, when Penny had done so. 'I know how well-loved Selkie was in the Capitol, both before and after the Games.'

'Thank you, ma'am,' Penny said, wondering how high Elonn's condolences ranked on the scale of insincerity.

'Penny, I have a little problem.' The President stared right across the coffee table, her eyes fixing Penny in place like pins in a dead butterfly. 'You see, it doesn't look right for a victor to die so soon after winning. With a victor from a lesser district, it usually wouldn't be an issue, but Two hasn't had a victor in years. Selkie was extremely popular in the Capitol, and you wouldn't believe how much media attention she's attracted, being sick and hiding away like she did. To leave the media and the citizens hanging would be a major inconvenience for us.'

Penny didn't bother wondering who 'us' referred to. 'So, what do you want me to do, ma'am? Selkie and I weren't very close—

'What I have in mind doesn't require you to be close,' Elonn cut her off sharply. 'Now that I've met you in person, I'm even surer that you'll be capable of this, Penny.'

'Capable of what, ma'am?'

Elonn's angular face took on a look of ultimate victory as she elaborated. 'Penny, you and your twin sister might not have been close, but you did look _extremely_ alike. I want you to impersonate your sister. Provide the Capitol and the districts with the victor they want to see.'

Penny recoiled. 'You're, uh, you're joking, right? Because I can't just—

'Penny, understand that I don't need your consent for this. I believe I am in quite an ideal position to make deals with you, don't you think?' Elonn glanced subtly through the glass kitchen door, where Shara was pacing frantically.

Penny's blood ran cold. She looked from the President to her anxious mother, and back again.

'I think it's in your best interests to agree with me, Penny. Now, let me explain further. We will put out the news that Selkie Katling is on the way to recovery. At the same time, we'll report that her twin sister, Penny, has suddenly and tragically died of a fall on the ice. You will be made over to look like your sister, and no more will be said about the subject.'

Penny sat, frozen, trying to comprehend what had just happened. 'But, ma'am, I can't impersonate Selkie. I'm nothing like her. I—

'You will have to learn, Penny. Or should I say, _Selkie_?' President Elonn stood up gracefully and smoothed out her sleek gray jacket. 'A team of stylists will be here in minutes to make the necessary adjustments to your appearance. I will talk to your family.' She started walking to the door before turning to face Penny. 'Also, please understand that you will not speak of this to any of your friends. If you so much as breathe a word to anyone, I will make arrangements for that person to be silenced. Is that clear?'

'Y-yes, ma'am.'

Penny stayed stock still for a long time after Elonn had left the room. Finally, forcing her limbs to move, she dashed up to Selkie's old room. The Capitolians had left for the time being, and Penny averted her eyes from the white-sheeted body lying on the bed as she rifled through the desk drawers. Finally finding what she was looking for, she gathered up the journals in her arms and took them out of the room.

She cast her eyes wildly around for somewhere to hide them. Her own room wasn't an option—it would probably be cleared within twenty-four hours. Thinking quickly, she took the bundle of books to the bathroom and hid them in the farthest corner of the medicine cupboard. They fit perfectly against the back, and if you looked quickly, you would think that they were part of the cupboard lining.

More voices could be heard downstairs. Taking a deep breath, Penny went down, preparing to say goodbye to her very identity.

* * *

 **So, I updated! Yey!  
**

 **If anyone's wondering what's up with Penny's violin, it's an electric. I figured that real acoustic violins would be rare in Panem's districts, where they don't really value music much. Besides, this is the future.**

 **I'd like to hear your thoughts. What did you think of this chapter's events? Do you think Penny will manage? Please tell. :)**

 **This is a fanfiction and The Hunger Games belongs to the imaginative Suzanne Collins.**


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